Medieval artillery.

[Matt Maier]

Anyone know of any resources on how medieval gunpowder artillery was constructed? I have an academic interest in it and I'd be interested to read about it.

 

[ChrisPer]

One that leaps to mind is the old (I mean 1961) encyclopedia Brittanica artillery article; that's where I saw my first really old guns.

But when do you mean Medieval? whats the marker for start and end of that? And more to the point, what have you found so far!

I have a few pics from Istanbul of bronze stone-throwing cannon, seriously huge, used to take Constantinople by Mehmet the Conqueror. They are cast bronze, thick walled powder chamber for 2/3 the length and 1/3 larger diameter, thinner walls, for the round stone projectile.

But most of the ones I think of as mediaeval are made by forging staves and hoops into a barrel. I have a couple of pics of smaller ones. Will see what I have for you.
Here is a biggish pic of one of the Mehmet type guns, so not in line in the post: http://members.iinet.net.au/~thinkfocus/images/2013_ist_mil/22Arty_IMG_9895.jpg

 

[robinghewitt]

I saw a wonderful movie of someone shooting these things. I think they were called crakes in the old speech supposedly because they went crack but if so, their idea of a crack can't have been like mine.

They loaded them up with serpentine powder, lit it, there was a whooshing noise and flame shooting out the touch hold while it built up pressure and then off it went.

The bombards had a wooden plug going down in to the powder chamber to connect ball and powder but even so they had to use wedges to stop the ball moving too soon.

Mons Meg was of the period, some twerp loaded her with modern powder in the 17th century, supposedly to fire a salute, and burst her back end.

 

[Matt Maier]

Chris Per, I consider medieval as referring to those weapons that were in use at the beginning of the gunpowder age, which from the research I've already done would be between the late thirteenth and early 14th century. I have read some material about bronze casting and the method of forge welding iron hoops around a mandrel.

Squire Robin, I once had the pleasure of seeing Mons Meg in person when I was much younger. Very impressive piece of equipment and a real shame that some yahoo burst the barrel with the wrong type of powder.

 

[matthew.heilgmail.com]

I would recommend, first and foremost, locating a copy of Bombards: Mons Meg and Her Sisters by Robert Smith and Ruth Rhynas Brown. It has a wealth of photographs and great text description, and more to the point, it includes several X-rays of the junctures between powder chamber and barrel.

You should also seek out The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy, 1363-1477 by Robert Smith and Kelly Devries. It's pretty academic and somewhat dry, but it has an amazing amount of information and a large section of photographs of surviving weapons (with multiple views and measurements!) toward the back. Because it relies on primary source information, it even has some interesting information on gun finishes and carriage construction.

I hope that helps! :grin:

 

For a quick read, "Early Gunpowder Artillery, C.1300-1600" by John Norris.

 

[ChrisPer]

There are some amazing posts at this place: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14460

Many of the threads drift a bit and have medieval cannon and gonnes.

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

The images are here if you can open them.

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

I built this in 1981.

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]

 

[Morko]